"Are you sure you want to do this?" We sat in my car about a half mile off the freeway, hidden from the road by all the trees and overgrown shrubbery. It wasn't the nicest area, but it was discreet.
"No, but I'm going to anyway," said Solomon.
"You don't have to."
"I know."
"They're here," I said when a beaten-up SUV I’d never seen before turned onto the dirt road, rocking past us and pulling up a little way in front of us. Garrett got out and opened the rear door. Damien emerged, squinting at the bright sunlight. He looked a lot more tired and weary than he did a few days ago and naturally, a part of me cared. The rest of me was still too furious to give a damn if he lost any sleep over his voluntary participation with gang activity that nearly got my fiancé killed.
"He was never a bad kid," said Solomon. "I keep wondering where I went wrong with him. Maybe it was losing our parents when he was so young. Maybe I didn't provide enough guidance. I just don't know."
"Did you treat him the same way you treated Anastasia?"
"I always tried to be fair and equal, making adjustments as necessary for their individual needs."
"Anastasia turned out great so I think your conscience should be clear."
"Thank you," said Solomon.
"John, you were dealt a horrible hand when your parents died and you did the best you could under the circumstances. You also raised your sister who turned out to be a lovely person. She's smart, hard-working and a respectable citizen. You put Damien through school and he became a cop. At some point, you have to release your responsibility toward both of them and let them lead their own lives. As adults, they get to make their own choices, and with that comes taking responsibility for their own actions. What Damien did is totally on him, not you."
"I could have helped him if only he explained the situation and made sure I understood. He asked me for a loan and I instantly refused."
"That's your right."
"I could have stopped all this if I’d given him the money. I thought he had incurred some credit card debt, which happened before, and I figured it was better for him to learn from his mistakes. I never knew it could have been anything as serious as this."
"Would it really have stopped then? Or would Damien’s debt have simply increased at the gang's whim? Having done it previously, what would stop Damien from playing another hand he couldn't afford at the poker table? Or being pushed into tampering with evidence again?"
"I know you're right."
"I've had a lot of time to think about this stuff. You've been taking a lot of naps recently," I teased.
"I'm trying to conserve my energy," said Solomon.
"What for?"
Solomon smiled and I couldn't help smiling back. "Nice to have you back," I said. "Now let's get this over with. We have a lot of stuff to do."
"You don't have to come. Garrett told me that Damien stuck a gun in your face. I can get out of the car and ream my jerk brother out by myself."
"It wasn't in my face," I pointed out.
"It shouldn't have been near you at all. I don't know if I'll ever trust him again. That kind of betrayal is off the scales. What are you doing?" Solomon batted my hands away.
"Patting you down," I said, checking that he didn't have a gun and wasn't planning on shooting Damien. It was probably a good thing Garrett was spiriting Damien away. I was sure Solomon had some fleeting moments of temptation when considering what he should do about his brother.
"There's no way I'm carrying a weapon. I only just left the hospital," said Solomon. "Are you sure this isn't really sexual harassment?"
"Complain to the boss." I finished my pat-down and popped open the door.
"You really don't have to see him," said Solomon.
"I know."
We both got out of the car and, and stood side-by-side before we walked over to meet Garrett and Damien.
"We can only stay for a few minutes," said Garrett. "This isn't an authorized stop and it's risky enough moving him like this."
"Understood," said Solomon. He turned his head to Damien. Damien stood still but after a moment, he sighed heavily.
"I am so sorry," he said, first to Solomon then to me. "I never meant for any of this to happen. I messed up really bad and I couldn't get out of it. I'm so sorry you got hurt, John, and Lexi, I panicked. I would never have deliberately hurt you. The gun went off by accident when Maddox knocked me out."
"We could all have been killed because of your poor choices," said Solomon. "Do you realize that? Me, Lexi, and Anastasia."
"I didn't know they would go after you. I thought they might kneecap me or make me do more stuff for them. I never guessed they'd come after you. I didn't think they even knew about you."
"When did you realize I was your first warning?" asked Solomon.
"Very soon after I got to Montgomery."
"And you didn't say a thing?"
"I was scared. I thought I could make the payoff and finally end it."
"I always thought if anything happened to me, you'd look out for our sister and Lexi. I thought I could count on you and look how you've let me down! Our parents would have been destroyed if they learned that this is what you've become. I am thankful they did not live to see it."
Damien hung his head. "I am too."
"If you had explained it to me at any time, I could have gotten you out of the situation."
"I thought I could handle it."
"I cannot fathom how you could even think that was possible."
"I was so ashamed," said Damien. "I was proud once, and I knew how stupid I was. I didn't know how to ask for help."
"You just spit it out," said Solomon. "It doesn't have to be eloquent. All you had to do was say 'I need help' and I would have gladly helped you."
"I know that now but I couldn't think clearly. I'm trying to change that in the future. I've told Garrett everything he asked me."
"It's a good start," said Solomon.
"Can you forgive me?"
Solomon looked toward me and I kept my face impassive. It wasn't up to me. "I don't know," he said. "You very nearly destroyed my life. If the gang had taken Lexi from me, that would have killed me. How can I forgive that?"
"What can I do?"
"Keep doing what you're doing now," said Solomon. "Tell Garrett every detail you can think of and when the court date comes up, take the stand and speak clearly and loud. You make sure the jury hears every word you have to say."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me, thank Lexi and Garrett. You only got this deal because of our connection to them, otherwise you'd just be another dirty cop facing jail time. You owe them your life and more. Don't ever dishonor it."
"I won't."
Solomon turned and took a step, then he stopped, half turning back. "Good luck, Damien," he said.
Damien looked up. "Will I ever see you again?"
Solomon walked away and this time, he didn't look back.
"I'm so sorry, Lexi," said Damien, looking at me. "I wish I could change everything."
"I believe you," I said, "but I don't forgive you. You hurt the man I love and he could have died. Maybe one day, I'll forgive you, but not yet."
"We need to go," said Garrett. He jangled his keys, but whether it was because he was uncomfortable or in a hurry, I couldn't be sure. "We've got a long drive ahead."
"Do you have somewhere safe to go?" I asked.
"I guess so, but I'm handing Damien off to another detective so even I won't know where he is until the trial date. I'll come by and see you when I get back."
"Drive safely," I advised, then I said to Damien, "and if anything happens to my brother on this trip, I'll make sure I use every resource I can lay my hands on to hunt you down." Then I turned around and walked away before all of my tolerance evaporated.
Solomon waited by the car. "You okay?" he asked.
"Relieved," I said. "You?"
"I don't know how to begin to process this. Perhaps I was the lucky one."
"How so?"
"I was all zoned out for days. You managed to do all the hard work."
"Call it team effort."
We got into the car and I smoothed the long skirt of my red dress. It felt nice to be dressed properly again. My hair was washed and styled. My make-up was perfect. Solomon was next to me. I felt damn good. I waited until Garrett's SUV pulled out, and counted a couple minutes, then pressed the gas and we rolled out of the dirt road and onto the highway. "We're going the wrong way," said Solomon after a few minutes.
"No, we're not."
"Montgomery is back that way. I thought you wanted to go home and relax? We suddenly have a lot of free time and a wedding we still have to plan."
"That's exactly right but we're not doing that at home in Montgomery."
"Where are we doing it?" Solomon paused while I giggled. "That's not what I meant," he said and he rolled his eyes.
"Remember that cabin you mentioned back at the hospital? A blazing log fire, cozy blankets, steaks and a nice bottle of wine?"
"Yeah?"
"I rented us a cabin in Lake Pierce. For the next two weeks, you are officially recuperating while we plan our wedding. Other than that, the rest of the rules of engagement for this vacation are all yours to make."
"Rules of engagement, huh?" Solomon nodded thoughtfully. He caressed my leg over the fabric. "I very much like this red dress but shall we start with clothing optional?"
"Interesting. I like your train of thought. However, we might get distracted from an important task we have yet to undertake."
“You mean me getting revenge on you for telling me I’d been in a coma for seventeen years?”
I held back a smile. “I hoped you’d forgotten about that. However, I meant something else.”
"You brought your mom's wedding binders, didn't you?"
I laughed. "No, but I thought about it! Instead, Francesca White from White's Wedding Planning is going to drive out to see us next week. She wants to give us the star treatment. She heard about what happened and she insisted on doing it. Our bags are in the trunk, our phones will be switched off, and you and I are going to enjoy the peace and quiet for once. Together. Alone."
"What are we going to do until next week?" asked Solomon.
"Until then, you must lie back and heal while I continue to do all the work," I said, flashing him a secretive smile. "You can add that to the rules too."
Solomon took my hand and kissed it. "Damn! Maybe I should get wounded more often!"